Bell Labs Fairchild 71A Airplane Photo
Bell Telephone Laboratories X952V 8x10
1979 MDC Print, Aitken Collection, Bell System PlaneDESCRIPTIONThis 8x10 black and white photograph shows a Fairchild 71A high-wing cabin monoplane lettered BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES INCORPORATED along the fuselage, with the Bell System bell emblem on the cabin door. The registration X952V is painted on the rudder and FAIRCHILD 71A appears on the fin. The aircraft sits on an airfield ramp with a second biplane parked behind it, and hangars, airfield buildings and period automobiles show in the background.The Fairchild 71 was introduced in 1928 as a development of the FC-2W2, a Pratt & Whitney Wasp-powered cabin monoplane used for passengers, freight and survey work, and production ran from 1928 to 1930. The 71A was the improved production version, with more sweep to the wings and a better interior. The X ahead of the registration number marked an experimental license in this period.Bell Telephone Laboratories ran its own flight operation out of Hadley Field, New Jersey. The Bell Laboratories Record of September 1929 describes the Laboratories' Fairchild ship as having logged over 400 hours of flight in the year since it entered service and as having taken part in a number of notable demonstrations, and it reports that a Ford tri-motor was being added for larger radio experiments. Captain Arthur Raymond Brooks, who joined Bell Labs in 1928 and served as chief pilot, flew these research aircraft, according to the Smithsonian's Brooks Collection, which credits his team with pioneering research in ground-to-air radiotelephone communication and electronic aviation navigation. Brooks had earned the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I for a September 14, 1918 fight against eight enemy aircraft. This print does not say which Bell Labs Fairchild it shows and names no pilot, date or flight.From the AITKEN COLLECTION. This is a 1979 company print made by McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC) at St. Louis, not an original period print, and it is offered and priced as such. The reverse is stamped MDC ST. LOUIS, DEC 12 1979, NEGATIVES NOT FILED, and carries an owner's stamp for Donald and Barbara Aitken of Irvine, California. Scanned at 600dpi.Donald Aitken was a Navy-trained aviator who flew helicopters and then spent his airline career as a United Airlines captain on the 747, 727, 757, 767 and DC-10, retiring in 1996. He grew up watching planes overhead in rural North Dakota and flew radio-controlled airplanes well into his later years.Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. All shipments receive rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONBlack and white 8x10 print on cream-toned photographic paper, a 1979 MDC St. Louis company print. The lettering is clear, with BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES, the Bell System emblem, FAIRCHILD 71A on the fin and X952V on the rudder all readable. Focus is slightly soft in places, especially around the tail and the background, and the print shows fine grain, scattered dust specks and a few small white flecks that come from the original photograph and not from wear. The image does not fill the sheet on every side, and a blank margin shows along the left edge, as pictured. No tears, creases or stains are visible in the scans. The reverse shows the blue MDC ST. LOUIS stamp, a date stamp reading DEC 12 1979, the NEGATIVES NOT FILED stamp (the first and last letters are faint) and the typed Aitken owner stamp, all as pictured. Please review all photos closely, as they are part of the description.
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